Furnace conveyer



Sept. 29, 1931. R, 1 wEAN FURNACE coNvEYER 2 Sheets-Sheet l QM QW l ihm m "Il,

Filed Oct. 6, 1930 mm NN am am mm wmmwmmwmwmmmmmmmmmmmwmmmmm mTl OOOOOO OOOOmvO OOOOOO OOOOOO OO Sept. 29, 1931. R. J. wEAN FURNACE CONVEYER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 6. 1950 Patented Sept. 29, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RAYMOND I. WEAN', 0F WABRENfOHIO, ABSIGNOB TO THE VEAN ENGINEERING COH- PNY, ING., 0F WARREN, 0R10, A COBPORATIN 0F OHIO 'Application led catcher 8, 1930.. Serial No. @6,55%

My invention relates to furnaces. and, in particular, to conveyers for 'furnaces of ,the continuous heating type through which articles are adapted to be transported for heat [U treatment such as normalizing.

In normalizing metal articles, such as sheets, it has heen the practice heretofore to provide a continuous heating` turnace of appropriate length provided With a conveyor for transporting the sheets through the heating zone of the turnace. lt has heen found necessary, in order to avoid injury to the sheets as the result of their contact with the supporting memlners ot nights of the conveyers employed, to utilize so-c'alled Wester sheets. These Wester sheets are simply pieces of thin gauge metal of appropriate size Which are placed on the conveyor tor supporting the sheet heing transported to protect it from direct contact the conveyor flights.

llhe use ot Wester sheets is oliiectonahle9 principally for the reason that considerahlc labor is required to place them in position on the conveyer heiore charginn the sheets to he treated thereinto. lt is also necessary to provide furnace attendants 'ier removing the Waster sheets at the discharge end ot the furnace after the treated sheets have heen taken trom the conveyer. The Wester sheets are then returned to the charging end ot the furnace Where they are used over and overv again. lt is olovicus that the amount of labor required for handling the Wester sheets is very considerable., lnl fact, more lahor is required to handlethe `Wastcr sheets than the nished sheets being treated.

lf have invented a 'furnace convever Which eliminates 'the large amount ci lahor necessary tor treatingq sheets in n continuous tur nace hy the previous method. ln accordance with the inventionQ ll provide a continuous heating furnace With a primary conveying meansq such as a chain conveyor. haring spaced dightsa Illiis conveyor may he ot the type which. has previously heen used in such installations and Which is described and illustrated in detail in my conenrling application,

Serial No. 482,2l-l., led Septemloer 16, i930,

for continuous heating furnaces. A plurality o'l such. conveyor chains are generally emlili ployed, driven hy a common driving mechamsm, for transporting sheets through a furnace.

In order to protect the sheets being treated from injury resulting from direct contact with the dights ol2 the conveyer chains, I provide continuous metallic strips or hands overlying the flights ol the -conveyer chains and traveling therewith to support the sheets. The principal driving torce is applied to the chains and only sucient tension is imparted to the hands to insure their movement with the chains. Perierahly, the hands are driven loy the same driving mechanism Which efects movement of the chains. The hands may he of any suitable metallic composition to insure their satistactory performance ot the tunction required ot them. 'Preferably, l employ hands ot a heat-resistant alloy steel.

Since 'the hands are continuous trom end to end ot the furnace, andere endless in the manner ci a helt, step of placing Wester sheets in position on the chain conveyers is entirely eliminated and the desired protection from contact therewith is allorded by the continuous Wester hands or strips.V

For a complete understanding ot the invenu tion, reterence is ninde to the accompanying drawings illustrating the present preferred embodiment thereo'l"a Figores ill-l and llE illustrate a vertical, central section through turnace haring the conveyer ci my invention applied thereto, certain parte heing shown in diagram only;

Figures @A and constitute a horizontal sectional rien' ot the 'lui-nace;

Figure l5 is n detailed side rien to an en larged scale ot the chain and :tights consti 'tilting one ot the chain conveyors; and

Figure fl is a sectional along the line lll lli' ot llinin'e t.

Reterring in detail to the drawing, the furnace comprises a chamher lll open at the ends and having side., top, and bottom walls 1l., lil., and l. The Walls ot the furnace are huilt 'ol refractorr hrick in the Well knownrnanner and are enclosed Within a structural frame Worlr lll supported on a suitahle foun dation llt @fleet lourner chamhers lt are let into the 10 side Walls of the furnace and are provided with burners 17 and baiiies 18. The burners 17 define the limits of the heating zone of the furnace ad'acent the charging end thereof. Any suita le. fuel supply system for the furnace may be provided. Adjacent the discharge end of the furnace, a series of transverse conduits 19 are provided which are connected to a pneumatic circulating system 20 carrying a cooling medium for controlling the temperature of the cooling zone thereby provided.

The means for conveying articles such as sheets through the furnace to subject theml to the desired heat treatment, comprises a primary or main conveyer in the form of a plurality of chains 21 having bearing rolls 22 and sup-porting arms or 'flights 23 at spaced intervals therealong. kIn the embodiment illustrated, I show four chains 21.

The chains 21 pass over driving sprockets' 24 adjacent the discharge end of the .furnace, the sprockets being keyed to a driving shaft 25 supported in suitable bearings 26. At the charging end of the furnace, the chains pass over idler sprockets 27 loosely mounted on a shaft 2 8. The shaft 28 is journaled in a shiftable frame 29 to which a bell crank 30 is secured having a counterweight 31 for maintaining the chains 21 taut. The rolls 22 ride on upper and lower guiding rails 32 of channel form for supporting the chains intermediate the driving idler sprockets. As is customary in this type of conveyer, the chains 21 pass through the furnace below 'the floor thereof, the flights 23 projecting upwardly through the slots in the floor.

In order to protect the lsheets transported by the primary conveying means, constituted by the chains 21. from injury resulting from contact with the latter, I provide a continuous strip or band 33 for each chain. Each band' is adapted to travel through the furnace with its chain, being supported thereby. The bands 33 travel over ,driving discs 34 keyed to a shaft 35 supported in bearings 36. Idler discs 37 are loosely mounted on a shaft at the discharge end of the furnace. The shaft 38 is preferably adjustably secured in the frame or yoke 29'so that the counterweight 31 Willbe effective to maintain the bands 33 taut, as Well as the chains 21. The lower run of each band 33 travels over supporting rollers 39 journaled in bearings 40 below the furnace. Pressure rolls 41 are mounted below the driving discs 34 and the idler discs 37 in housings 42. The rolls 41 are forced into engagement with the bands 33 by springs 43 and insure good frictional engagement between the bands and the dises to prevent relative slippage thereof.

The driving mechanism for the drive shaft 25 of the chain conveyers includes a motor 44., speed reduction gearing 45, and a chainand sprocket drive 46 connecting the latter to the shaft 25. In order to insure simultaneous movement of the chains and bands, I prefer to positively drive the shaft 35 carrying the drivin discs 34. This drive may conveniently be e ected by means of a chain and sprocket connection 47 between the shafts 25 and 35. This drive should, however, be adjusted so that the main driving tension is applied to the chains and only sufhcient force is exerted onA the bands to insure their movement along with the chains.

The bands 33 may be of any suitable metaL lic composition, but I prefer to employ a steel band having any conventional carbon content or an alloy of steel and chromium or steel, chromium, and nickel, or any'so-called heatresistant alloy. The metal belt or strip may be made endless by welding, stitching, or seaming or may be of a one piece construction Without joints.

In operation, the bands or strips 33 travel with the conveyer chains at the same speed. At the charging end of the furnace, the sheets to be treated are placed on the bands and are thereby protected from direct contact with the conveyer flights. At the discharge end of the furnace, the sheets are removed and the strips automatically returned to the charging end of the furnace. It will be apparent that the manual handling heretofore necessary with separate waster sheets is entirely done away with, and it is found that the number of furnace attendants can be practically cut in half. The bands 33 constitute a secondary conveying mechanism, cooperating with the primary conveyer in the form of the chains 21, although, as previously stated, the principal driving e'ort is 'applied through the chalns and not through the bands.

Although I have illustrated and described herein but a single preferred embodiment of the invention, I do'not intend to be limited to the specific details of this disclosure since the invention may be otherwise embodied without sacrificing the advantages herein set forth or departing from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim: u

l. The combination with a heating furnace and a chain conveyer having spaced arms extending outwardly, for transporting articles therethrough, of an endless, metallic belt engaged by said arms and traveling therewith to support articles out of direct contact with said arms.

2. In a furnace for treating metallic sheets, the combination with a chain conveyer having ights spaced therealong, of an endless belt engaged by said dights for supporting sheets in the furnace out of contact with the ights.

3. A sheet treating furnace including an endless chain conveyer, and an endless, heat resisting, protective belt carried by said conveyer for supporting sheets in the furnace out of contact with the conveyer.

4. Means for protecting sheets from direct contact with a chain conveyer traversing a heat-treating furnace, com rising an endless, heat-resisting belt surroun ing said conveyer 5f and traveling therewith.

5. The combination with a plurality of chain conveyers traversing a. heat-treating furnace and adapted to cooperate to pass articles therethrough, of a separate protec- 10 tive means for each of said conveyers comprising an endless belt therearound and traveling therewith.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

RAYMOND J. WEANW 

